SOLAR AQUA

Born at the end of the 19th century for the Canadian department store Eaton's, from the merger of the Swiss brand Aqua from 1922 and the North American brand Solar from the late 1800s, the reborn Solar Aqua today launches two new watches with futuristic design, inspired by the stylistic elements of a creation from the late 1950s.

An inspiration that comes from the past, at least for the creation of Prima Abyss, one of the two novelties from Solar Aqua for 2024, which comes in different dial shades: black, military green, navy blue, and dark red, both in versions with crocodile-print leather straps and those with steel bracelets.

A reference in lines, style, and certainly a tribute to the Solar Aqua Prima 7951 model from 1958, taken as the basis for the creation of a watch that bridges the past and the future. Forged for extreme sports but refined in style, as well as the second creation, Prima Abyss pays homage to the original model of the last century with the preservation of the case line, now made of 316L steel measuring 42mm, its screw-down crown, closed case back, and the shape of the lugs in addition to the idea of the central counter that counted the hours inside with a custom-sized hand, while minutes and seconds were counted externally.

On one hand, the brand's reference to this model, on the other, a celebration, as in previous Solar Aqua models, of the brand's country of origin, North America, through small symbolic and stylistic details evoking rugged, extremely beautiful mountains ready to be climbed, as well as paying homage to Switzerland for its watchmaking engineering.

On the three-level dial, enriched by a radial guilloche finish, creating an incredible kaleidoscopic and changing effect, and featuring a large open date window, the hour sphere rotates, reminiscent of the spear of the god Odin, in honor of the mountain of the same name at the extreme west of Canada, as well as the hand in the additional 24-hour counter, placed at 10 o'clock.

The second hand recalls the trident of the same Norse god, while the minute hand is shaped like Zeus's lightning bolt, in honor of the peak of the same name at the extreme east of North American territory. The coordinates of both promontories are displayed on the side of the case of each watch, and the serial number is located near the lugs, while the aforementioned hands along with the indices are treated with superluminova to ensure excellent nighttime visibility.

Contrary to its predecessor, the Prima Abyss is a sports watch with elegant lines that make it suitable for any occasion, not just extreme sports, being tested to climb the most rugged peaks and at the same time explore abyssal depths, as evidenced by the model's name, enduring water pressure at a depth of 200 meters. O

n the closed case back, preserving the precision Swiss movement by Peseux, customized for Solar Aqua, a laser engraving appears with the map of Canada highlighting the two points of the two mountains, Zeus and Odin, which are located at opposite sides of Canada.

Solar Aqua, a brand recently relaunched by the U-BOAT Group, today also presents the Asgard model, named after the mountain, obviously North American, belonging to the Arctic Cordillera, located in the territory of Nunavut and famous for its two flat-topped peaks, which are the summits of two separate towers and whose name is taken from the realm of the Gods in Norse mythology.

Secured through three screws at the ends of the dial, an internal counter defines, through its colors matching the seconds hand, which with its three points recalls the unique peak of the North American mountain, and to the silicone straps; the various models: red, black, silver, gray, blue, light blue, and white.

The hour hand boasts a unique trapezoidal shape reminiscent of the top of Mount Asgard, while in order to reinforce the Canada-Switzerland connection that gave rise to the merger of the Solar and Aqua brands at the end of the 19th century, the watch features a second hour sphere in the shape of the logo, placed on the opposite side of the trapezium, highlighting the 6-hour time difference between the two states. All watch hands are then treated with superluminova to ensure precise timekeeping and extreme visibility.

The 42mm 316L stainless steel case and black case with black PVD treatment, with a carbon bezel forged in both versions, Asgard boasts an open dial in the central area that allows a view of the Swiss Peseux movement, also customized for Solar Aqua.

The case and straps are perforated to ensure a lightweight feel for the watch, which withstands a depth of 200 meters and makes it suitable for any sport, even extreme. The case back features a laser engraving indicating the position of Mount Asgard, while on the side of the case are its GPS coordinates along with the serial number.

The included strap, the same color as the dial and also perforated, is also "cut off" like the peak of the eponymous Canadian mountain, however, a full silicone strap (without holes) much shorter is also available.

Forged for Extreme Sports but designed for style, therefore perfect for any other occasion, with Prima Abyss and Asgard, Solar Aqua pays homage to both Switzerland and North America, places that witnessed the birth of the historic brand and which still today, with their natural beauties and watchmaking craftsmanship, inspire its creations.

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